Cerezo: No problem for Atletico to lose stars

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo insists it would not be a problem to lose any star names provided their release clause is met.

Published

29 June 2014

The likes of Koke and Diego Costa have both been heavily linked with moves away from the Spanish champions after helping propel Atletico to La Liga glory last season.

If he were to leave, Costa would follow in the footsteps of Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero and Radamel Falcao in leaving for pastures new, but Cerezo says the club will always continue to reinvest and evolve.

"Everyone has left on good terms. Torres, Falcao... everyone except Aguero, who had a silly problem," Cerezo told Digisport.

"He could've left (for Manchester City) as a hero and he left as a villain instead over something silly.

"Any player who doesn't want to stay should pay the release clause and that's it. Our policy is clear. We don't want any players who are unhappy at Atletico.

"It hurts us when they leave, but if they pay the release clause, it's not a problem."